Snowball
by Angel Arielle
Summary: Why are Draco and Hermione staying at Hogwarts over the festive season? and whose that getting snowballed to death? song fic


It was Christmas Eve at Hogwarts. The fates had actually allowed it to snow. Either that or Dumbledore had installed a snow machine over night, which wasn't that unlikely.

The few students who had had to stay during the holiday period were currently having a snowball fight on the quidditch pitch. Well one person was running from the pitch while being snowballed to oblivion whereas the rest were doing the throwing of said snowballs. All was as it should be…almost.

Hermione Granger was sat on the window seat in her room. She was staring out of her window at the rather amusing scenario through red swollen eyes. Her nose was running and her head was pounding so hard she thought her heart had migrated north. It was not a cold that had caused this. It was a completely different source. A white-blond haired, grey eyed, insufferable ferret to be exact.

Hermione was presently trying to determine exactly why she had stayed at school during the festive season. Her parents had decided they wanted to escape to a warmer climate and so had gone on holiday. They had invited her of course but she said it wouldn't be the same. Christmas was meant to be cold.

Obviously, she had also been invited to stay at the Burrow with Harry, Ron and the rest of the Wesley's. Needless to say, she had refused point blank saying she didn't want to impose. In other words, she didn't want Ron to ask _that_ dreaded question. The question every girl dreads. Your best friend, who you think of as a brother, asking you to go out with them. And when they had insisted, she had done some insisting of her own. N.E.W.T's were coming up. She needed peace and quiet to study. Nobody could argue with that. After all, the Weasley residence wasn't quiet on a normal day never mind Christmastime when the whole family and tag-alongs were present.

So here she was all alone. Except for the foul, loathsome, evil, little cockroach, Draco Malfoy. He shared the head dormitory with Hermione. Living in such close quarters with someone you detest had not been easy. However, that was nothing compared to how hard it had been since realising she had fallen hard for the Slytherin Prince. He was the real reason she had stayed at Hogwarts for Christmas. She was sure he knew, as he had been even more annoying than usual. Why he had been appointed the position of Head Boy was anyone's guess. Hermione was pondering this exact question when there was a knock at her bedroom door. Enter said cockroach.

"Excuse me. Did I say you could come in?" she asked through gritted teeth. There was no way she was gonna let him get to her. Or reduce her to screaming at him again. No way.

He leaned on the doorframe looking curiously at her. Probably wondering why she looked like she had been crying. He realised he must be staring when she cleared her throat. He quickly recovered.

"No. But I thought id grace you with my presence anyway. I know how much you miss me when I'm not here." he replied with the usual smirk to top it off.

"And where have you been? Plotting no doubt. No that's not it. You've been bullying the first years again. No that's not it either. Let me see. Your hair is a mess and your lips are swollen. And you have pig on your face. Yep. You've been with Pansy."

"Wrong Granger. I guess even the know-it-all can be wrong sometimes. Don't worry, I won't tell," he grinned.

Hermione let out a frustrated sigh and turned back to the window.

"Why would you care if I had been with Pansy anyway?" his voice seemed closer now. She turned to find him sitting on the end of her bed.

"How dare you Malfoy? Get up now!" she bellowed.

_I love you_

_But I gotta stay true_

_My moral's got me on my knees_

_I'm begging please_

_Stop playing games_

"Why don't you come over here and make me." he smiled. And this was precisely why she was upset. The flirting. The teasing. It had been going on for weeks now. She was sick of it. Had it been anyone else she would have loved it, bar Ronald Weasley. However, this wasn't just anybody. This was the one boy who she couldn't have. All because he was a pureblood and she was a mudblood. He was a Slytherin and she was a Gryffindor. Not to mention he hated her with every fibre of his being. Still she felt butterflies whenever he looked at her.

_I don't know what this is_

_But you got me good_

_Just like you knew you would_

_I don't know what you do_

_But you do it well_

_I'm under your spell_

"Please. Just leave me alone Draco. I really can't be bothered with your mind games."

To say Draco looked shocked by this revelation would be putting it lightly. Perhaps it was the fact she called him by his first name. Perhaps it was because he always thought she enjoyed shouting at people. Merlin knows she did it often enough. Or perhaps it was how she said it. It was a whisper. It held no malice. No hope. And it had been followed with a single tear that she hastily brushed from her cheek.

"Please," she repeated raising her knees to her chest. She rested her forehead on her arm facing away from him.

_You got me begging you for mercy_

_Why won't you release me?_

_You got me begging you for mercy_

_Why won't you release me?_

_I said release me_

Draco pushed himself off the bed and walked over to Hermione. He hesitantly rested a hand on her shoulder. She lifted her head to face him and lowered her head again. She knew she should have told him to get away from her. She knew he didn't really care. She was just so happy to feel his touch on her shoulder. But then she wondered, if he didn't care why was he trying to comfort her?

He removed his hand and she sighed inwardly. She knew it was too good to be true. He could never love a mudblood. But then he did the unthinkable. He kneeled down, brushed her hair from her face, and placed it behind her ear. Then he ran his fingertips down her cheek. He stared into her eyes. His own brimmed with concern.

"Hermione?" It should have sounded foreign to her. He had never called her it before. Not really. Only in her head a million times when day-dreaming.

"Don't," she cried, "I can't take it anymore. I need to move back to Gryffindor tower. I can't stay here with you."

"Hermione, I'm sorry. Whatever it is I've done. I'm sorry. Don't leave. They'll stick Potter or Weasley in here. Or worse, Longbottom! Please don't leave. I thought id been rather nice to you this year. I've stayed out of your way haven't I?I haven't called you names. I haven't teased you."

"That's a lie and you know it," she shouted, "you were teasing me about five minutes ago."

_Now you think that I_

_Will be something on the side_

_But you got to understand_

_That I need a man_

_Who can take my hand, yes I do_

"Well I just thought you might want to indulge in some extra curricular activities. Is that a crime?" he chuckled. He knew he shouldn't have said it but anything was better than her crying. He got the outcome he was expecting anyway. She sprang up from the window seat and he fell backwards and banged his head off the end of the bed. He mumbled some profanities and looked up to see Hermione kneeling beside him.

"Draco I'm sorry. I didn't mean to," tears were now flowing freely down her already tear-streaked cheeks, "you just…you keep flirting with me. Which is bad enough anyway, but doing it when you are with Pansy is just plain wrong. You're playing with my feelings and hers."

_I don't know what this is_

_But you got me good_

_Just like you knew you would_

_I don't know what you do_

_But you do it well_

_I'm under your spell_

"Hermione, I'm not with Pansy. Haven't been for about a year now. And I'm sorry if I've given you the wrong idea. The last thing I want to do is play with your feelings. Hermione…I…I like you," he stuttered.

"You just don't like me that way. I understand. Please just go." She sat at the edge of the bed.

Draco picked himself up from the floor and rubbed his hands on his shirt. "Stand up," he said.

"What?"

"Stand up." he held out his hand and she took it. He pulled her towards him.

"When I said I like you, I was lying." She made to push away but he held her tighter to him. "What I mean to say is…I…I love you. That's why I flirted and why I teased you. I didn't know how to tell you. So I tried to show you. That's why I didn't go home for the holidays. That's why I came here to see you. Please give me a chance. Ill do anything."

_You got me begging you for mercy_

_Why won't you release me?_

_You got me begging you for mercy_

_Why won't you release me?_

_I said you better release me, yeah, yeah, yeah_

She looked into his eyes looking for the lies. All she saw was truth and desperation. "I love you." He cupped her cheek with his hand and ran his thumb over her bottom lip. He moved his other hand to the small of her back pulling her even closer as she moved her hands to his neck pulling him down towards her. Their lips met in a soft kiss which eventually grew more passionate. And eventually they edged their way to the bed.

_Mercy,_

_Why won't you release me?_

_I'm begging you for mercy_

_Why won't you release me?_

_You got me begging you for mercy, yeah_

They awoke later that evening, wrapped in each other's arms. Legs tangled. Staring into each other's eyes.

"I can't wait to tell Potty and the Weasel," Draco laughed.

"If you even hint to them I will avada your arse so quick you…mmpf," she was stopped when Draco rolled on top of her and silenced her with a passionate kiss.

_I'm begging you for mercy_

_I'm begging you for mercy_

_I__'m begging you for mercy_

_I'm begging you for mercy_

_Why won't you release me?Bring it on_

"Draco? Where had you been this morning, before you came to see me?" she inquired.

"You mean, why was my hair ruffled and my lips swollen?"

"Well…yeah."

"Ok ill tell you. Just promise me you won't laugh." She nodded. "I was at the quidditch pitch. I was bored so I was gonna go pick on some first years. Don't give me that look. Anyway, before I could even insult one of them they pelted me with snowballs and one or twenty hit me in the face. So that's why I looked like that."

Hermione tried to suppress her laughter but it was no good, she let it all out.

"You promised!" And with that he jumped on top of her and tickled her senseless.

DMHGDMHGDMHGDMHGDMHGDMHGDMHGDMHGDMHGDMHG

Song is 'Mercy' by Duffy

5th April 2008...a few people have asked me for a sequel with Harry and Ron in the mix, i'm not so sure...could you please message me or review...i'd love to know your thoughts. Thanks! x


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